Religious Freedom Index Hits Historic High as Americans Unite on these

The Religious Freedom Index from Becket has reached its highest score ever in 2024, marking a significant milestone in Americans’ support for religious liberty.

“This year’s polling sheds new light on the 2024 election, with questions comparing voter sentiment this year to sentiment during the 2020 election season, while other questions probe ongoing court cases and cultural disputes,” according to the report from the religious freedom organization. Metro Voice News’ analysis of religious trends suggests this represents a significant shift in public opinion.

Among the key findings:

• Americans are wary of government interference. At church, at school and in the workplace, Americans have a shared concern of government actions crossing lines where faith is concerned. This vigilance reflects a collective understanding that true freedom requires keeping government intervention in check when it comes to matters of faith.

• Americans’ divisions on abortion haven’t split them on religious liberty. After the 2022 Dobbs decision, key metrics measuring Americans’ attitudes towards religion and faith saw a marked decline. Today, abortion remains a divisive issue, but Americans’ faith in religion is returning, and they continue to oppose controversial attempts to force religious organizations to provide abortion coverage against their faiths’ teachings.

• Americans crave a culture that values religious freedom — a place where faith is respected, not sidelined. According to recent polling, 62% of Americans believe that people of faith are part of the solution to the problems our nation faces. Americans want a culture that values religious freedom, not a society that turns a cold shoulder to people of faith.

Metro Voice News reports that despite growing narratives about declining religiosity in the United States, Americans still valued their First Amendment freedoms and were regaining confidence in faith and religion as the solution to America’s problems. “This year’s results more than justify that confidence, with the index score itself and several index dimension scores improving, even in a contentious election year,” the report concluded.

–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice